citizenM New York

Time Out says

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Users say
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5 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

Inspired by cheap-fashion chains such as H&M that bring high design to the masses, fast-growing, family-run citizenM aims to democratize the luxury-hotel experience. With rates starting at less than $200 a night, just about anyone can kick back on a $10,000 Vitra armchair in the hotel’s eclectic lobby and admire the 26-foot-tall installation Walking in Times Square by Julian Opie. Catering to a time-zone-crossing, tech-savvy clientele (the M stands for “mobile”), the Amsterdam-based company has devised a new model informed by its founders' travel frustrations, cutting high-overhead amenities like room service in the process. Self-service stations speed up check-in after a long flight (friendly “ambassadors” are on hand if you get stuck), and the 24-hour canteenM dispenses cocktails, coffee and all-day breakfast alongside other dishes and snacks, so you're not tied to set mealtimes. The rooms (appropriately, there is only one size: approximately 170 square feet) are stripped of germ-trapping bedspreads and carpets to focus on the essentials: a custom-made, extra large king-size bed, a fridge stocked with free bottled water, and a powerful Hansgrohe rain shower (in a cool cubicle illuminated with colored ceiling lights). You can control the hue, and everything else in the room—from the blinds and the temperature to the DJ-curated playlists and the artworks displayed on a digital wall panel—using a Samsung tablet. Rooms: 230.

Rating Breakdown

Have not yet stayed at the just-opened NYC Times Square version, but I feel certain it will be a PERFECT addition to our Citizen M World. Stayed TWICE at Citizen M Schiphol Aiport, on the way to and from Entebbe, Uganda (ICK!) for an Intelsat Meeting. LOVED the hotel! The 24-hour cafe was essential, the staff were perky and fun, and the free iMac computer in the lobby allowed me to get online and read the Supreme Court's DOMA decision as it was issued (OH! and watch the Derecho wreak devastation on my hometown, Washington, DC, as I sat in cool comfort in Amsterdam! AND we avoided the resulting heat wave in DC; even though we were on the Equator in Kampala, the altitude keeps it nice and breezy there. In addition, on the KLM flight to Rwanda (then a hop to Entebbe), I learned that Madonna was bringing her MDNA Tour to a brand-new Heineken Arena in Amsterdam on my way home. Snagged a prime ticket online in my room at the Hotel Serena in Kampala, and enjoyed door-to-door EXCELLENT rail service by the Dutch, and a fun (rainy) night concert in Amsterdam, where Madonna was superb, AND the ticket was much cheaper than I could have bought back home at the Verizon Arena in DC. Good Times!!!!!